Caught Unaware
by In The Beginning
Summary: NB As world famous surgeons, they should have been prepared for anything... which is why the shock was even greater when they were caught offguard. Warning... a few NB spoilers
1. Research

(This has New Blood character spoilers! Read at your own risk!

Call this a Second Opinion/New Blood crossover, if you will, but I'll be damned if I don't write it. :D

PreseatheKitsune inspired this. It's totally partially her fault. -points- XD

Ahh, I was going to say something but I forgot. Oh well!

Let's begin.

Markus, Val, Derek, Angie © Nintendo

Masa's © the owner

GUILT, Stigma © Nintendo)

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Caught Unaware

Chapter One- Research

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Markus Vaughn had to admit, he had never thought that he'd be working with the greatest doctor of the twenty-first century...

But who was he to complain about his good luck? It wasn't like he and Val could operate when their assistant was on vacation... Now, he had the opportunity that many doctors would kill to have...

"No-- not like that. You have to lift it straight up, or the membrane will multiply... we don't need that to happen."

"Alright then..."

Carefully, Markus lifted the Triti thorn away from the membrane, placing it in a glass dish, performing this action under the scrutinizing eye of Dr. Derek Stiles.

"Perfect," Derek smiled, his glasses beginning to slide off his nose. He quickly pushed them back on before adding, "Now you can remove the rest of the membrane-- but don't drop it."

Cautiously, the younger surgeon began pulling apart the triangular pieces of the membrane...

"...there we go. I don't see anymore of... you said it was called Triti?"

"Yes-- I don't see any more membrane either, and the Chiral reaction is negative," Derek agreed, a smile creeping onto his face. "Angie... we've collected another Triti sample from this lab rat, if you need it."

"Yes-- thank you, Derek..."

Angie Thompson quickly approached her husband, taking the glass plate that Derek held out to her, the thorns and membranes resting on the plate. The blonde woman carefully carried the dish over to the table that she and Valerie Blaylock had accosted for setting up their research experiments.

"Okay, Valerie-- just like I showed you, alright?"

Val nodded, taking her forceps and carefully lifting a dark green membrane, gently placing it into a petri dish, resting the triangular object on the gel. With great care and precision, the dark-haired woman then took the thorns, inserting them into the gel at each of the three corners of the Triti segment.

"Good," Angie smiled as the membrane flickered briefly, quickly placing the lid over the dish before the membrane could multiply. "We have all the samples we need for today, too... looks like we're done here."

"Just in time, too-- our shift ends in two minutes," Derek added, glancing at the clock. "Let's get out of here before someone asks us to do 'just one more thing,' as they always do..."

"Oh, I have an idea-- we don't have to be in until noon tomorrow, so why don't we go to that sushi bar on Fifth Street and Clark Avenue?" Angie suggested. "It's a nice way to get out and do something outside the lab..."

"Last time we went out for dinner with someone, we... we got kidnapped," Val recalled, glancing at Markus with her dark brown eyes. Markus chuckled briefly, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Well, that's true, but this time, I actually have an idea where that is-- you're talking about Masa's, right?" he asked in his low voice.

"Yeah, that's the one," Derek nodded. "What do you say? Our treat... to repay you for agreeing to help us with our research."

Val had never known Markus to pass up the opportunity for free food...

"Well, it sounds like a plan, then."

She smiled briefly...

She still had yet to see him refuse.

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"Hey, Dr. Stiles, is it alright if I ask you a question?"

"Well, sure-- if you stop calling me Dr. Stiles outside of the hospital. Derek will be just fine."

Valerie chuckled briefly, masking her slight embarrassment as the waiter walked off with the four doctors' orders.

"Right, sorry... well, I was just wondering... why is GUILT research still being done? I thought that it was technically a dead disease... was my assumption wrong?" she asked, her brown eyes wide with curiosity.

"In a way, yes, it is dead... but at the same time, it's not," Derek replied, carefully choosing his words.

"...it is and isn't?" Markus' normally aloof smile was replaced by a confused frown. "How can it be both?"

"...concerning its presence in the world, GUILT is an inactive disease," Angie began to explain. "However, everyone-- you, me, the president, Europeans, Africans, _everyone_-- has a gene that would allow the pathogen that forms GUILT to thrive. The variations of the gene and pathogen determine the type and severity of the GUILT... we need to do research to figure out how to nullify the pathogen's effects..."

"...so that's why it was so deadly, huh?" Val muttered as their waiter returned with their beverages. "It could affect everyone..."

"And the only way to get immunity is to be infected," Derek nodded solemnly as he sipped his diet Coke. "And you both know that the only cure is surgery..."

"...hey, speaking of cures... why choose to do your research here?" Markus queried as he took his martini from the Vietnamese waiter. "I can understand wanting a bigger area to work at-- Caduceus Japan isn't very big, is it? But, why not Caduceus Europe... actually, why are_ you_ doing the research, Derek? What if you get infected?"

Derek couldn't help it...

Markus and Val stared confusedly as the nearsighted surgeon began chuckling, eliciting an exasperated sigh from his blonde wife.

"Well, because of something that happened _at_ Caduceus Europe, I've been both able to do research without worry and informed to never go back, except in case of an emergency."

"Wow, what happened? It must have been serious..." Val asked, her inquisitive nature demanding answers.

"We were there for a GUILT conference about ten years ago, and Director Miller requested that I operate on someone with the Tetarti strain of GUILT," the older surgeon began, fixing his glasses. "But it was an exceptionally infectious strain; immediately after the procedure, I collapsed, having become infected with both Kyriaki and Paraskevi."

"Paraskevi... that's the one that can kill instantaneously, isn't it?"

"It's understandable that our director was less than pleased when Director Miller refused to admit that Europe carried part of the blame for the incident," Angie nodded. "After a similar affair happened the next year, Director Kasal pretty much cut off as many ties with Europe as he could..."

"Sounds a bit like Professor Wilkens, doesn't it?" Markus chuckled, shooting Val a glance as he took a drink from his martini.

"You know, now that you mention it, that sounds like something he _would_ do, doesn't it?" Val agreed, smiling...

"Excuse me-- who ordered the Masa Roll?"

Derek, Angie, Markus and Val looked up to see their waiter holding a white plate with sushi on it in one hand, and a tray with three other plates in the other.

Conversation was quickly abandoned in favor of food.

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Markus collapsed onto his sofa several hours later, making yet another empty promise to himself not to volunteer to eat Val's leftovers.

Sighing, he decided that he would listen to his growling stomach and the rest of his tired body-- tonight, the living room would be graced with his company.

The brunette surgeon tiredly rearranged the two small pillows on the sofa until they were under his head.

The last thought to sluggishly cross Markus' mind was how much he wished he had a blanket with him before he drifted off to sleep.

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(End chapter one.

And so it begins... mwah ha ha ha!

No Japanese restaurants in America are owned by Japanese people anymore. What is this.

Please review!)


	2. Stubborn

(Oh jeez, it can't be a good thing when people start calling upon my ranting powers... -coughMoonCatcough- XD

But seriously, people-- if you don't like the story, _then don't fucking read it._ You have the freedom to choose what to read; use that freedom! Seriously!

On a side note, I have officially fallen in love with Markus. I don't love him more than Sidney... but damn. He's so dreamy. XD Okay, ITB, stop fangirling!

Before I forget; fennessey, there is no GUILT in the main storyline of New Blood. It only gets mentioned once... maybe twice. But Markus and Val are helping Derek and Angie do their research because at the end of Second Opinion, there was that whole epilogue screen where it was like "OMG LYKE GUILT RESEARCH LOLZ", only the words they used were bigger. :D

A word of warning to readers of "Life of Secrets"...it's on a bit of of a temporary hiatus. Not like the one that my Gorillaz fanfic is on... oh jeez no. But... oneshot ideas for New Blood have been pouring into my head, and I, having the short attention span that I do, want to write them up before I forget.

I guess this means I like New Blood more now than I did when I first got it. XD

Okay; chapter time!

Markus, Valerie, Derek, Angie © Nintendo

GUILT © Nintendo

Stigma © Nintendo

Starbucks © Starbucks)

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Caught Unaware

Chapter Two- Stubborn

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A bright chirping sound from Markus' coat pocket jolted the dark-haired surgeon out of his slumber. Groaning, he rolled off the sofa, slowly stumbling over to his jacket by the door and pulling his cell phone out of the pocket.

"Hello...?"

"Don't tell me you were still _sleeping,_ Markus... despite your slacker attitude, I know you never sleep past nine!"

Val's words made Markus glance at his watch...

Nine twenty-three?!

"...well, you know, it takes a lot of energy to eat my food as well as _yours,_" Markus smiled, tiredly rubbing his eyes. "Especially when what you've ordered could feed the entire state of Wyo--"

A sharp pain flared up in his chest.

He doubled over in agony, his hand flying over his heart; a strangled groan escaped through Markus' clenched teeth...

"...Markus? Is something wrong?"

Almost as soon as Valerie's voice reached Markus' ears, the pain vanished; he carefully stood upright, wondering if maybe he had just... imagined the anguish... it wouldn't have been the first time.

"...yeah, I'm fine. Just... heartburn, is all."

Val chuckled briefly, her concern subsiding.

"So then, I guess you don't want to go out for coffee today? Starbucks has its Christmas blends now... my treat."

Markus' eyes lit up.

"I'll meet you there in thirty minutes."

He hung up, quickly hurrying to the bathroom.

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"Did you catch a cold, Markus?"

Markus looked up from his peppermint mocha to see Valerie staring at him, frowning, her dark eyes filled with concern.

"What makes you think that?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips as he re-wrapped his blood-red scarf loosely around his neck to trap in the warmth. "It's pretty chilly today, isn't it...?"

"It is," Val agreed, rubbing her arms briefly. "Markus, you're a lot more distracted than usual, and you look kind of pale... are you warm? Here, let me feel your forehead."

"What the-- Val, I'm _fine-_ get that hand away from me!"

Markus pushed away the hand that was quickly approaching his forehead.

"Val, do you really think that I wouldn't say anything if something was wrong?"

Valerie sighed, letting her hand drift back to her eggnog latte.

"...right..."

A small smile played at her lips.

"...you'd be complaining nonstop about how miserable you feel, anyways."

Markus groaned, hanging his head as Val began giggling uncontrollably. When he picked up his head once again, a feeble smirk had set itself on his lips, remaining there even as he sipped his coffee.

"...we come here so often; do you think they'll make us members soon?" he joked, his dark brown eyes sparkling with amusement.

"The other regulars here probably think this is a part of our dating ritual," Val nodded, chuckling softly.

Of course, that wasn't the case at all... Markus and Val were as single as people could get.

But she could dream.

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"Dr. Vaughn, is there something wrong?"

Markus glanced up, the scalpel in his hand about to be replaced by a syringe, his surgical mask fluttering with each breath. Derek was looking directly at him; his face, too, was obscured by a mask, but the younger surgeon could faintly make out a concerned frown on the elder surgeon's face.

"No, I'm fine; why do you ask?"

That wasn't _entirely_ true; Markus' chest had begun to burn with a stinging pain, making it difficult to concentrate. However, he simply brushed it off; it didn't stop him from properly doing his work, so why should he worry about it? That was his motto...

"...say something if you don't feel right," Derek replied. "Tetarti is extremely infectious; the last thing we want is for someone to get infected and let it progress to an advanced stage."

"Of course, Dr. Stiles."

Valerie and Angie watched from a short distance away, both clad in protective gear, as Markus carefully injected the serum into the diverticula that had formed on the test subject's stomach.

"Does he ever admit when something's wrong?" Angie asked in hushed tones.

"Admit? Oh, he does more than that; he brings it up over and over again," Val replied, smiling faintly. "It makes you want to punch him sometimes."

Angie chuckled softly.

Markus had just finished applying the final synthetic membrane. A quick splash with the antibiotic gel fused the membrane to the organ; he waited patiently for the Tetarti bodies to appear, like Derek had said they would...

A wave of pain suddenly overtook the young surgeon. His breath became stuck in his throat; white flashes danced in front of Markus' eyes, even when he shut them tightly to try to block out the agony that coursed through his body...

"Dr. Vaughn--"

The voice seemed so distant... but it was enough to pull him back into reality.

Markus opened his eyes; the spots had disappeared.

"...sorry. I'm fine now... let's continue..."

Derek would not be so easily convinced.

"Markus, you're not fine-- sit down and relax, I'll take care of the procedure--"

Markus was far too stubborn to admit defeat.

"The Tetarti bodies are appearing... I'm going after the purple one first."

"No, you're not--"

The hand that reached for the syringe in Dr. Vaughn's slightly tremulous hand was impatiently swatted away.

"For God's sake, Dr. Stiles, do you want me to learn how to treat this or don't you?"

Derek reluctantly grew silent as Markus injected the violet serum into the appropriate Tetarti body. It froze, then began writhing uncontrollably- a sure sign that he had injected the right one. Smiling grimly, the younger surgeon quickly drew up a syringe of yellow antitoxin...

The first wave of Tetarti had been swiftly eradicated...

Markus' breathing grew more labored.

"...Dr. Vaughn, I don't care what you say, something isn't right. Give me the--"

"The Tetarti is returning... I'm going after the yellow one first this time."

"Markus, let Dr. Stiles take over--"

"Val, I'm _fine,_" Markus snapped, trying to focus through the pain clawing at his heart. "You said yourself that I'd be whining nonstop if something was wrong, didn't you?"

Valerie grew quiet as Markus took care of the second wave of Tetarti.

"...one more round and we'll be able to extract the Tetarti from the-- _Dr. Vaughn!_"

The syringe fell from Markus' hand, clattering on the table as his hand flew to his chest; his breaths came in strained gasps as bright flares blocked his vision...

"Markus, give me the syringe-- you're done here!" Derek ordered, reaching for the fallen syringe--

"I'm _fine!_"

The cerulean star flashed in front of Markus' eyes, making itself seen amongst the white bursts of light...

He snatched the syringe off of the table, filling it with the purple serum, his Healing Touch granting him supernatural speed. As soon as the Tetarti bodies appeared, he injected the serum into the violet Tetarti body...

Markus could see Derek, in slow motion, whip his head around and say something to Angie. The blonde woman dashed out of the room...

His dark brown eyes burned as he filled the syringe with the pale yellow serum...

_No!_ Markus growled to himself, the pain trying to break him as the second Tetarti body fell to the antitoxin. _Just one more...!_

With unsteady hands, he injected the green fluid into the final GUILT body. Wasting no time, the brunette surgeon seized the forceps, lifting each immobile Tetarti body and placing them in a small glass case...

Markus' concentration finally broke as the final GUILT fell to the bottom of the container.

His body was free of pain.

"...Dr. Vaughn, are you alright?" Derek asked hesitantly, immediately suspicious of the sudden disappearance of Markus' symptoms. "You looked like you were about to collapse for a minute, there..."

"Well, I'm fine now," Markus nodded, amazed at how easy it had become to breathe. "Looks like it was a false ala--"

The next sound to escape his lips was a strangled gasp of shock and pain; Markus' hands flew to his chest, his legs beginning to quake beneath him as he struggled for breath...

"_Markus!_"

Val rushed to his side, her hands carefully grasping Markus' jerking shoulders, her brown eyes wide with fright and worry.

"Markus, answer me, what's wrong?!"

"Valerie, back away!" Derek barked, hurrying to Markus' side. "He might be--!"

"...don't f-feel... so... g-good...--"

The last thing Markus could see before everything faded to black was Angie rushing in, a machine clutched in her hands as she hurried to the fallen surgeon's side.

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(End chapter two.

Dear me, what's happened to Markus?

Well, you'll find out soon.

Please review!)


	3. Lucky Number SeventyFive

(Ugh. Linux equals occasional amounts of hate and anger.

Which brings me to my next topic...

Please. You do not_ need_ updates; you _want_ updates. You do not _have _to know what's going to happen, you _want_ to know. Please, for the love of... I'm not feeling sacrilegious today, so for the love of the Kasal twins, _don't say you "need" anything!_

Speaking of Kasal twins, if you haven't played Under the Knife or Second Opinion, stop reading this and go play Second Opinion. Now. Before I throw my hole-filled sweater at you. :D

On a side note, Dmitri Shostakovich has completely taken over my computer as of now. What is this. Also, what the hell happened to the anonymous reviewers? XD

Maybe New Blood ate them all... o.o; Oh dear.

Let's begin.

Markus, Val, Derek, Angie © Nintendo

GUILT © Nintendo

Starbucks © Starbucks)

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Caught Unaware

Chapter Three- Lucky Number Seventy-Five

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"How could this have happened...? We took every safety measure we had to and more...!"

"I don't know, Angie... but you saw the results of the Chiron Test yourself-- F5-A. He's been infected, somehow..."

Angie sighed, nervously playing with her short blonde hair.

"...we don't have the equipment to treat it... do you want me to call them and have it shipped?"

"No... I'll do it. I want you to explain things to Dr. Blaylock... so she knows what's happening."

"Alright, Derek."

--------

Would he just wake _up_ already? It had already been almost twenty hours since he collapsed...

Valerie sighed, her dark hand loosely holding Markus' abnormally pale one.

_"Dr. Blaylock... no. Valerie. There's something that... I need to tell you."_

Her eyes were dry... but who could tell how long that would last for?

_"Is it about Markus...? Please, tell me, what's happened to him?!"_

In his sleep, Markus let out a quiet groan; Valerie gently tightened her grasp on his hand-- the only sign of worry and care she could offer him in his unconscious state.

Markus grew quiet.

_"Valerie... I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this... or that you have to hear it at all, but... Markus has been infected with a very severe strain of GUILT."_

Val's eyes fell on the oxygen tube that helped her coworker breathe, helped to keep him alive...

Her own breath caught in her throat.

_"...I-I see. ...tell me how bad it is; I can take it."_

Only the quiet beeping of the heart monitor and her own shaky breaths penetrated the heavy silence...

_"Fortunately, it's not Paraskevi, so he has time... but we don't have the proper tools with us to treat him. It'll be a day or two until we get them... and we don't know how quickly it will mutate. ...he's going to have to be strong for a while."_

Val rubbed the sleep out of her heavy eyes with her free hand.

_"...he can hold on. If there's one thing I can say about Markus, it's that he won't give up."_

Markus groaned softly, shifting in his sleep... before slowly opening his eyes.

"Markus? Are you alright?!"

His tired brown eyes fell on Valerie, who had immediately sat upright, unable to mask her concern.

"Val...?"

His weak voice could barely be heard over the beeping of the machines; however, the fact that he could speak at all comforted Valerie immensely. Her expression relaxed; a small smile graced her dark face.

"Yeah... it's me. How... how are you, Markus?"

A smirk slowly played at Markus' lips, his free hand slowly creeping towards his chest before it finally rested over his heart.

"Well... I'm in only slightly more pain than when we were on Miracle Surgery..." he muttered, coaxing a small chuckle from Val. "But at least then... I knew what was wrong... what's happened to me, Val?"

Valerie froze, the smile vanishing as she hesitated to tell him the truth...

She fought to control her emotions as tears threatened to fall down her face.

"...Y-you... you got infected... w-with a d-deadly strain of G-GUILT," she finally choked out, her vision blurring as tears pooled in her eyes, her voice cracking as she began to lose control. "You... have some time, but... if the supplies they need t-to treat you don't come s-soon, then..."

Markus cut Val off with a soft sigh, his dark eyes gazing off into the distance.

He knew what it meant, when she trailed off like that...

Valerie's sudden, soft sob jolted him back into reality; Markus looked up to see tears slowly streaming down her face.

"Val-- Val, don't cry..."

Carefully, Markus released Val's hand, slowly reaching up and wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Val... do you really think I'm just going to roll over and let this kill me?" he asked, a smirk playing at his lips. "Fat chance in hell. The last thing on my mind right now is dying."

Val let a querulous smile show as she began to take comfort in his words.

"Alright, Markus... Just so you know, though, I'll never forgive you if it turns out that you were lying..."

Markus chuckled before his eyes fell on the clock on the wall...

"Crap-- it's already tomorrow morning?"

Confused, Valerie too glanced up at the clock...

Nine thirty-six.

"Yes, it is," Val nodded, wiping away the final remnants of tears from her eyes. "This is the second day in a row you've slept past nine..."

"Well then... let's not _completely_ destroy tradition. Let's get some Starbucks... my treat."

Those last two words elicited a scoff from his coworker.

"_Your_ treat? Of course you'd say that _now,_ when you're confined to a hospital bed and have no money at your disposal..."

"Hey, don't write me off as cheap just yet-- my wallet's in my coat pocket... and _yes,_ before you ask... there _is_ money in there."

Val sighed, unable to keep the smile from forming on her face.

"Alright... I'll be back in half an hour. Peppermint mocha, right?"

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Derek knocked softly before walking in.

Markus' eyes were half-open, a dazed look in his dark orbs; his breathing was slow and deep, his chest slowly rising and falling with each inhalation and exhalation.

The heart monitor beeped slowly.

"...Dr. Vaughn?"

Markus' eyes shot open; the heart monitor beeped more frequently as his breath began to quicken.

"Mngh... yes, Dr. Stiles?"

"Did I wake you?"

"No, not really... don't worry about it," Markus admitted, his hand creeping to his heart, a pained expression coming to his face as he forced himself to sit up. "I was just using my Healing Touch to try and deaden the pain... and it worked, but even with it, it's just burning agony, all over..."

"Well, I'm sorry for disturbing you..." Derek apologized, slowly seating himself in the empty chair by Markus' bed.

"It's alright... what do you need, Dr. Stiles?"

Derek paused, fixing his glasses before letting out a tired sigh.

"...well, I'm here to tell you what exactly is going to happen... concerning your treatment."

Markus' tired eyes focused intently on the elder surgeon, waiting patiently for his next words.

"...Pempti attacks the nervous and respiratory systems first, which is why it's hard to breathe and you're in so much pain," Derek explained. "It requires a special serum and laser to destroy, and we've already told our director that we need them... so they're on their way here. But... that's not the real issue. The real issue is going to be the operation."

"...is there a high mortality rate for people infected with Pempti...?"

"About sixty percent."

Markus sighed, running a hand through his dark, unkempt hair.

"...well then. What are my chances of surviving?"

"...when we did the analysis, it showed up as a mutated strain. It will probably adapt faster and cause more damage during the operation... however, we did manage to find it early. And you're young and strong... When the supplies get in tomorrow evening, we'll operate right away. I'd say given the circumstances, you have about... about a seventy-five percent chance of pulling through."

The famous smirk that he was rarely seen without played at Markus' lips.

Seventy-five was one of his many lucky numbers; it had never failed him before.

"Alright then... you said mortality was sixty percent? Soon, it'll be knocked closer to fifty."

Derek chuckled.

He felt optimistic about the situation...

The determined patients almost always pulled through.

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(End chapter three.

Markus. Heart.

Val. Double heart.

Okay, seriously, I need to stop fangirling so much. It's quite ridiculous. XD

Please review!)


	4. Pain and Luck

(So, I've finally been blunt and callous enough to influence one of my reviewer's friends to attack me... if you could call it that.

It took long enough.

The more in-depth, angsty rant is on my deviantART journal- username is SomeRandomGirl. Then go ahead and call me a bitch, please. It makes my day. :D

Why yes, I AM sleep-deprived and anxious to operate with Markus, but can't-- thank you for asking!

Let's begin.

Markus, Val, Derek, Angie © Nintendo

GUILT © Nintendo)

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Caught Unaware

Chapter Four- Pain and Luck

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He was amazed at his own ability to tolerate the pain.

Sighing, Markus closed his eyes, emptying his mind of all thought, save the five-pointed cerulean star, which grew brighter in his mind's eye with each passing second...

The pain that clawed at his chest began ebbing away as his Healing Touch activated, slowing the passing of time.

_Relax..._

Markus slowly relaxed, his tense body becoming loose.

The pain receded.

_Breathe..._

Air filled his failing lungs, then was pushed out by a quiet sigh.

_...okay. Now, just concentrate on the star..._

Markus' chest began to burn.

_Relax... let go of the pain..._

It tore nervously at his lungs, almost as if second-guessing the wisdom of attacking Markus once again...

_Come on... let it g--!_

Markus' eyes shot open, his focus shattered as his hands flew to his chest. Fiery agony ripped away at his heart, cutting off the air flow to his lungs; he gasped, desperately trying to breathe--

After nearly a minute, air finally rushed into his lungs.

His desperate, irregular panting soon grew quiet and rhythmic as oxygen reentered his body...

Markus sighed, his hands falling back to his side.

_Right... no more of that, then._

--------

"Okay, Markus... let's start from the top. One?"

Valerie sat by Markus' bedside, a clipboard and pen clutched in her hands.

"This operation is only going to happen once... so, that's taken care of."

The dark-haired woman quickly put a check mark next to the number one.

"Two?"

"Well, you're operating too, right? So, there's two doctors operating... and don't hit me for mentioning this-- there's two women in the operating room, as well."

Val rolled her eyes.

"Three?"

"Three conscious people in the operating room."

She chuckled as she marked the clipboard.

"You have a lot of lucky numbers to take care of, Markus."

"Hey, better safe than sorry, right?" Markus smirked, ignoring the dull throbbing in his chest that made it difficult to breathe.

"I guess," Val smiled. "Six?"

"Hm... six... that's a tough one. ...there _are _six strains of Stigma, and we've treated them all... that counts..."

Nine was the time that he was usually up by so he could be at work on time; he had first wanted to be a doctor when he was thirteen. At twenty-six, he discovered that he had the Healing Touch; now, he was thirty-four years old.

"Let me guess; forty-two is the number of sarcastic comments you try to make in a day?"

"No, actually... that's forty-seven. Forty-two is how old my cousin was when he won the lottery."

"Some of your lucky numbers hardly have anything to with luck or medicine..."

"Don't question my lucky numbers... unless you want me to pester you about that medallion you always carry with you."

"Alright, no questioning being done."

Sixty-six was the number Markus got when he put the number of letters in his first name next to the number of letters in his last name.

"Only two numbers left... seventy-five?"

"Originally, that was the grade that prevented me from being a lawyer... now, that's my chance of survival, according to Dr. Stiles."

"Better seventy-five than twenty-six, I suppose. The final number is... ninety-four?"

"I was born in nineteen ninety-four."

"Alright... that's all the lucky numbers. ...are you sure you're prepared for the operation?"

"There's not much else I _can_ do to get ready, is there?" Markus sighed, closing his eyes. "Those numbers have never failed me before... so why would they now?"

"...Markus, I... I'm scared."

He opened his dark eyes, looking over at Val. She looked down at her feet as she nervously played with her hands.

"What if this operation... doesn't work?" she asked hesitantly, inhaling deeply to try and calm herself. "I-I mean... Dr. Stiles said that sometimes... the patients just... never wake up after the operation, and-- what if that happens to--"

"Val... Val, give me your hand."

Valerie looked up, confused, as she slowly gave her hand to Markus. He took it, grasping it loosely, a small grin gracing his pale face.

"Val... I promise you, I _will_ survive this operation. I mean, after all... I can't have you being angry at me for all eternity, can I? That's a pretty long time..."

Valerie chuckled softly.

"No, you can't... next time I'd see you, when- or wherever- that is, I'd have to smack you across the face..."

Markus grinned.

The door opened, and Derek and Angie walked in.

"Dr. Blaylock... we need you for the pre-op briefing... the supplies just came in. We're going to start the operation as soon as the briefing's over, alright?"

"Y-yes-- I'm coming...!"

Valerie quickly left the room with Derek and Angie.

A nervous energy suddenly filled Markus, making it impossible for him to focus.

This was it...

--------

(End chapter four.

Chapter five will be up eventually... wheee!

Please review!)


	5. Chaos

(Warning you all now: VERY LONG CHAPTER.

It almost decided not to end before I used my powers of PWN and was like "FINISH, BITCH". And then this chapter ended, because it knows who its boss is.

I should write a documentary about my life. That would RULE. If would be me screaming "PWN" every six or seven words, or every time I mentioned a Kasal(PWN!).

But this is not that documentary!

Let's begin.

Markus, Val, Derek, Angie © Nintendo

Pempti © Nintendo)

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Caught Unaware

Chapter Five- Chaos

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Markus' vitals were hardly stable...

After Derek finished sanitizing the chest and made his incision, the number decided to settle for seventy-five.

"I see the concentration of cells... is it just me, or is it moving faster...?" the brunette murmured. "Angie, I need the serum now..."

"Of course, Derek," Angie nodded, quickly handing her husband the syringe filled with the orange liquid. Waiting patiently for the semi-core to appear, Derek rapidly injected the nanomachines into the hazy blue object. The tissue shuddered, then receded, leaving a few small tumors in its wake.

"I've got them," Valerie announced, quickly grabbing the normal laser and burning away at the neoplasms, then splashing antibiotic gel over the burn marks. They quickly healed, and Markus' vitals stopped falling at sixty-six.

Angie refilled the syringe with the orange serum, handing it back to Derek before grabbing a new hypodermic needle. Filling the tube with stabilizer, the blonde nurse proceeded to inject the life-saving green fluid at the same moment that the brunette surgeon inserted the nanomachine into the foreign tissue.

"Angie, the laser!" Derek ordered as the tissue shrank, and the main core, larger than usual and a vibrant cerulean, surfaced.

The special laser was in his hands not a second after he asked for it. Derek burned away at the main core as Valerie used the traditional laser and antibiotic gel to treat the new tumors that had formed.

"There..."

Val glanced at the core-- just in time to see it dissolve into nothing.

"...is that it?" she muttered. "That _can't_ be it..."

"It's not," Derek responded, readying the laser once more. "It's only just begun... Dr. Blaylock, get ready to suture; there may be a lot of--"

A small magenta core suddenly darted out to the edge of the Pempti tissue.

Derek quickly focused his laser on it...

It dashed across the organ, leaving behind a large laceration before vanishing.

"What the--"

"Derek, there's more!"

More laceration-causing growths appeared-- but before Derek could so much as blink, they shot out, marring the lung with lacerations.

"Damnit... Dr. Blaylock, quickly! Suture the wounds!"

Valerie immediately seized the sutures, sewing the wounds shut before they could bleed out, as Angie rapidly injected stabilizer to bring Markus' vitals out of the thirties...

Five small cores, tanned in color, appeared in the remaining Pempti tissue, hovering near the edge...

Derek barely finished lasering away one of the cores before the tissue expanded across the lung, then contracted. The cores followed, each one leaving four tumors in its wake.

"Vitals went from sixty-four to fifty-one...!"

"Treat the tumors!"

Valerie exchanged the needle and thread for her laser and antibiotic gel. Quickly, she burned away the excrescences, pouring the gel over the wounds to heal them.

"Ah!" Angie cried out suddenly.

"What, Angie?"

"The syringe broke...!"

"Well, his vitals are stable at eighty-eight... quick, grab another one--"

"Dr. Stiles, what are those?"

Derek glanced down at the Pempti core--

"_Hurry,_ Angie!"

Derek's laser focused on the cores that were spinning wildly around the central body. As the cores disintegrated, Markus' vitals plummeted rapidly...

"_There!_" Derek sighed as the final spinning core vanished.

"...unbelievable," Val gasped in shock. "His vitals went to forty-one in... oh _God..._"

"Dr. Blaylock, what is Markus' Healing Touch?"

Valerie's dark brown eyes glanced confusedly at Derek, his light brown orbs hidden behind glasses as his piercing gaze never left the Pempti core.

"...you saw it yourself-- didn't you? He moves with inhuman speed..."

"I'm injecting more stabilizer!"

"_Damn--_ the Pempti's taken his ability and turned it against him!" Derek cursed.

"Derek, the core!"

He growled, swiftly focusing the special laser's intense beam onto the cerulean body, burning away at it as the aquamarine star flashed in front of his eyes...

_If it thinks it's going to beat us and kill him, it's got another thing coming!_ Derek thought as his Healing Touch activated.

As the Pempti core gave out to the incinerating beam, it sent out more neon pink cores, desperate to claim its host's life...

The first one survived long enough to slice the lung; the other five fell to the laser.

Val wasted no time; she grabbed the sutures, quickly closing the wound.

"Vitals are at fifty-seven, Derek..."

"Can he even hear us?"

"Probably not, but does it hurt to-- tumors!"

"Ah!" Val cried, quickly treating the eight small growths that had appeared on Markus' lung, put there by the two remaining tan cores that Derek had failed to destroy.

They quickly encountered the same fate as their counterparts.

The main core surfaced; Derek wasted no time focusing the laser onto it, watching it tremble beneath the beam before it collapsed once again, sliding beneath the Pempti tissue.

"How long does this _take?_" Val growled, picking up the sutures, anticipating the return of the magenta cores.

"Sometimes it takes more than ten laserings to destroy the Pempti..."

"You have to be _kidding--_"

Magenta cores flashed across the lung, tearing apart the organ once again.

"Is this--"

"It's moving... much faster..."

Derek's tense voice caught Angie's attention.

"Derek?"

"C'mon... I have to _focus!_"

His brown eyes narrowed to thin slits; his motions became a blur as his Healing Touch was renewed.

"...oh, this is _just--_"

Angie fought the urge to curse, instead reaching for a new syringe to replace the broken one.

A ring of cores surrounded the main one; Derek quickly burned them away, but not before the vitals dropped from seventy to forty-four...

"_Finally...!_"

Angie had found a new syringe; the first thing she did was inject stabilizer into Markus until his vitals climbed to seventy-five.

The main core sent out more small cynosures; only one was able to excrete four tumors...

Derek grimaced.

"Dr. Stiles...?"

Val put the antibiotic gel back down long enough to shoot Derek a concerned look.

"...n-need to... f--"

"Derek, _stop!_"

His focus shattered; he gasped for breath, air flooding into his lungs...

"Derek, you can't use it anymore!" Angie cried. "Just try destroying the core!"

"R-right...!" Derek murmured, clearing his mind as he scorched the central core with his laser...

He never even saw the magenta nuclei; only the deep lacerations they caused left any sign of their existence.

"Sunuva...!"

Val's hands immediately went to work; the six lacerations were sutured shut...

"Damn, not again--!"

Derek's laser focused on the halo of cores that flew around the focus of the Pempti tissue; eventually they vanished...

"_Not again!_"

Angie's wail caught Val's attention.

"What is it...?"

"_I pulled the plunger out of the syringe!_"

"_What?!_"

Quickly, her dark brown eyes glanced up to check on Markus' vitals...

"_No!_ They can't-- he won't--"

"More mini-cores!"

Val glanced back down; the tissue had begun to expand--

_No!_

The magenta star flashed before her eyes.

_I won't let you take him...!_

Markus' lung became littered with tumors...

Even as Val burned away at the excrescences, Markus' vitals remained stable at nine.

"...what...?"

Derek couldn't help but stare in wonder...

_...is that her Healing Touch...?_

"D-Derek, the core! It's back!"

He snapped out of his daze; Derek attacked the main core, watching it collapse with a grim sense of satisfaction.

"It shouldn't take much more--"

More hot-pink cynosures shot out over the lung.

_Focus!_ Val growled to herself as she sutured the lacerations. _It can't be that much longer...!_

"It's resurfaced again-- it's almost over--!"

"Wh-what the--!?"

The ring of cores spun wildly, then suddenly shot out across the organ, leaving tumors in their wake...

"This attack is--"

"Dr. Stiles, get it-- my Healing Touch is...!"

"Understood!" Derek nodded, focusing the laser on the swollen core--

_Come on..._ Val's inner voice egged her on. _Just a little more... at least until the damage is taken care of..._

"Ah...!"

There was a small flash at the core...

The Pempti tissue expanded, flashing sporadically, the lights accompanied by a faint popping sound...

...before the tissue vanished, leaving only a few small tumors as a reminder of the long battle.

"Chiral Reaction is... oh thank God-- Chiral Reaction is negative!"

Derek heaved a sigh of relief.

"Finally... let's treat these tumors and close him up..."

Valerie burned away the small tumors, healing them with the antibiotic gel...

Markus' vitals crept up to thirteen.

"...you're going t-to be... alright now, M-Markus..."

"Dr. Blaylock, are you--"

"_Valerie--!_"

Val collapsed, crashing to the floor, unconscious.

"Is she alright?!" Angie panicked briefly.

"...I think she just... overworked herself," Derek replied softly. "Let's close him up, and we'll get them both in a room. Do you have a new syringe, Angie?"

"Y-yeah..."

Carefully, the blonde nurse injected more stabilizer into Markus, until his vitals were stable at ninety-four. Derek sutured the initial incision, then doused it with antibiotic gel and bandaged it.

"Two hours and thirty-four minutes... damn. I'll never underestimate GUILT's powers again... c'mon, Angie. Let's get them out of here."

"Yes, Derek."

--------

(End chapter five.

FINALLY. SERIOUSLY.

Too tired to add more notes. THIS IS SEVEN FUCKING PAGES. JEEZ.

Please review!)


	6. Waiting

(William Faulkner is an American who wrote a book called "The Sound and the Fury."

There is no sound. There is only fury.

This will not be my only update for the day. Won't that be fun!

Alright, let's get this sappy chapter over with...

Let's begin.

Markus, Val, Derek, Angie, Secretary Anderson © Nintendo

Starbucks © Starbucks)

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Caught Unaware

Chapter Six- Waiting

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"It's been two days already, and neither of them are awake yet..."

"Well, remember when I passed out after first using the Healing Touch? I was out for three days... and before he died, Secretary Anderson was asleep for three days as well."

"True... and considering the operation, it's not that big of a surprise..."

"His heart rate is regular, and he isn't completely dependent on the oxygen machine. I think, considering the circumstances... he'll be okay. We just need to keep an eye on him to make sure his condition doesn't deteriorate."

"Right..."

--------

Her dark eyes slowly opened...

Angie's slightly surprised expression was the first thing she saw.

"Ah, Valerie, you're awake..."

"Unh...?"

Valerie's hand slowly rose to her eyes, rubbing the drowsiness out of them as she slowly sat up.

"Where am I...?"

"After the operation, you just... collapsed," Angie explained gently. "You've been asleep for three days."

"O-oh..."

After a brief moment of relaxation, Valerie was suddenly seized by panic.

"W-wait!! Where's Markus-- how is he?!"

Angie paused briefly, then slowly pointed to the bed adjacent to Val's.

The dark-haired surgeon spun her head around--

Markus lay on the hospital bed, unconscious. The heart monitor beeped slowly and rhythmically; his chest slowly rose and fell as air filled and left his lungs.

"Markus? Markus?!"

"Val, relax," Angie spoke softly, her calm voice slowly soothing the panicking brunette woman. "He hasn't woken up yet... but he's doing well. He should wake up in a day or two..."

Val couldn't help but relax briefly, despite her worries.

"Alright. ...thank you, Angie... what time is it?"

"Uhh... three thirteen, why?"

"...I have to go get something... I'll be back soon."

--------

A little over an hour later, Val returned, two red cardboard cups in her hands.

"Hey, Markus... can you hear me?"

She was greeted by silence, save for the beeping of the machines.

"I went to Starbucks... if you wake up and it's cold, you don't get to complain, because it's _my_ treat, alright? And you _will_ drink it... no exceptions."

Now Val was sure he would wake up soon...

Markus_ never_ turned down free food.

--------

Except, maybe, for this once...

Val walked into the room at nine thirteen in the morning, once again carrying two cups of coffee-- just as she had done for the past three days.

The only sound that welcomed her was the machines and their monotonous tones; the only sight that greeted her was Markus still sleeping, the coffee from previous days next to his bedside, untouched.

"...Markus, it's not nice of you to be making me worry like this," Val frowned, sitting down and placing the peppermint mocha on the endtable. "It's been six days since the operation... do you think maybe it's time to wake up now?"

Of course, he ignored her.

"...it's nine fifteen now... you overslept again Markus. ...you need to get back on schedule... before everyone starts thinking that you're--"

Val stopped; tears threatened to fall from her brown eyes...

"...th-that you're... well... never going... t-to wake up..."

She couldn't help it; she broke into soft sobs, tears slowly rolling down her dark cheeks.

"...Markus, just... w-wake up already..."

Her crying eventually subsided; Val slowly wiped the remaining tears from her reddened eyes...

She could see Markus' lips slowly moving.

"...M-Markus...?"

Whatever he was saying, it was far too soft for Val to hear; she leaned in closer, trying to hear his disjointed murmurings...

"...wake up already...? I've... _been_ awake... what took you so long... to get the coffee, Val...?"

Another wave of tears overtook Val as she began to laugh.

"_Damn_ you, Markus... you say _nothing_ for a week, and then the first thing out of your mouth is you complaining about how slow I am?!"

A quiet chuckle escaped Markus' lips as he slowly opened his dark eyes, tiredly looking up at Val.

"Of course... how are you, Val...? It's been a while... since I saw you..."

A nervous smile played at Valerie's lips as she sat upright once again, wiping the moisture away from her eyes.

"I-I'm fine... I'll be better once you're back to normal, but given the situation..."

"Well, I'm awake now... that's a step in the right direction... isn't it? So why are you still worrying...?"

Markus' nonchalant attitude irritated Valerie to no end; couldn't he take_ anything_ seriously when she was upset?

"Well then, Markus- for that _thoughtful_ comment, I refuse to bring you any more coffee until you drink all the mochas I've brought you so far, starting with the oldest."

"Oh, that's harsh... denying a recovering man his fresh caffeine..."

As he tiredly reached for the cup closest to him, Val couldn't help but smile...

It wouldn't be long before things were back to normal.

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(End chapter six.

Typing up these chapters makes me feel sane again.

Please review!)


	7. New Morning

(I told myself I can't operate anymore until I finish Sorcery of Salvation and Caught Unaware.

Of course, it's a good thing that I've got the last chapters written up, eh?

There's not much fluff, really... maybe I should switch that romance rating... make it something like DEATH.

:D

Let's begin the end.

Markus, Val, Derek, Angie © Nintendo

Starbucks © Starbucks)

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Caught Unaware

Chapter Seven-New Morning

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"You're going back to Japan?"

"Yes... our flight leaves tomorrow morning."

"That's a shame-- I wouldn't have minded learning more of your techniques, Dr. Stiles."

"I thought I already said that Derek would do just fine..."

A laugh was shared amongst the table.

"But it was wonderful, getting to come to America again," Angie smiled as she carefully cut her steak. "It's sad that we can't stay longer..."

"You're not leaving because your director hates us, are you?" Markus smirked, carefully picking at his pasta.

"Oh no, nothing of the sort," Derek chuckled, swallowing what was left of his fish. "Director Kasal just gave us two months to spend in America... it's time for us to get back home."

"Well, at least it's not because of something we did," Val laughed, popping a forkful of salad into her mouth.

--------

"Thank you for dinner, Markus..."

"Think nothing of it-- it's the least I could do, after everything you've done for us."

"Take care of him, will you?" Angie asked Val, pulling her into a hug. "And take care of yourself while you're at it..."

"Of course," Val replied as she eventually pulled away. "I'll email you later, alright?"

A mischievous smile played at Angie's lips.

"Alright... will you also be sending me a wedding date?"

"A _what?!_"

Angie beamed, darting away from the startled Val and following her husband to their car.

"You're evil, you know that, Ang?"

The blonde woman giggled.

"You love me anyways... you wouldn't have married me if you didn't love me like this."

Derek chuckled.

"Too true, Angie..."

--------

Nine thirteen... and Markus hadn't called her yet.

Pulling her coat on, Val quickly dialed Markus' cell phone number.

_Riiiiing..._

_Riiiiing..._

_Riii--_

"Mngh... hello?"

Val sighed as she heard that tired tone in his voice.

"Are you okay, Markus? You overslept again..."

"Did I really...? Well... do me a favor, would you? Look outside and see if it's snowing..."

Val scoffed.

"Snow? In forty degree weather?"

"Hey... you never know, right...?"

Val shook her head as she walked over to the window.

"I guess, but really, Markus, you can be quite ridiculous at ti--"

She froze.

Markus' car was parked in front of her house, with him in the vehicle; he stared at the shocked Val in the window, a grin plastered across his face.

"What's wrong, Val? You look surprised."

She finally came back to her senses...

"...you_ bastard._"

Markus laughed.

"Come on-- there's a peppermint mocha with my name on it. You ready?"

Val sighed.

"Yeah... just give me a minute to gather some ice cubes to stuff down your back."

Markus' laugh was cut off as Val hung up her phone.

She _hated_ when he did that...

But at least Markus was back to normal.

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(End Caught Unaware.

Ohhh myyyy Goooood. I like this chapter. The part at the end... mmm. Yummy.

I'll stop freaking you out now.

Thank you all for reading this story! Please review, and I'll see you next time!)


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